Yardbarker: Blake Heinrichhttp://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/players/blake_heinrich/261610
Recent articles about Blake Heinrichen-usGolden Bears: Canada West Preview, Part 2This is part two of a two-part series previewing the University of Alberta Golden Bears and their Canada West Conference of the CIS. Part one of the series can be found here.
Each post briefly gives an overview of how each club noted played last season, any significant players leaving, and an overview of the new recruits for this season. The University of Alberta Golden Bears open their season this Friday at home at the Clare Drake Arena.
University of Calgary
12-12-4, tied for 4th (in points) in Canada West. The Dinos were not nationally ranked last season. The team’s top two scorers Chris Collins and Elgin Pearce, who tied for the team lead with 27 points, are both back this season.
New Recruits
Matthew Greenfield, goal; Greenfield played 55 games for the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers between the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons. He split the 2015-16 season between the USHL’s Tri-City Storm and the BCHL’s West Kelowna Warriors.
Braiden Doucette, defence; The 6.00, 185lbs rearguard played 109 games for the WHL’s 13 Oct 2016 16:35:21 -0400http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/golden_bears_canada_west_preview_part_2/s1_13963_22116391
http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/golden_bears_canada_west_preview_part_2/s1_13963_22116391Golden Bears: Canada West Preview, Part 2http://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/golden_bears_canada_west_preview_part_2/s1_13963_22116391http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.pngPortland Winterhawks Shredded By Everett Silvertips, Bow Out In First RoundWhen the 2016 season began with a 1-7 start, many fans wondered if Portland would be able to field a competitive team, let alone even take a sniff into postseason action. Suddenly, the team started making some inroads as the other teams in the US Division took a bit of a nosedive. By Christmas, the Portland Winterhawks were battling for a second place spot, though the other teams were staking their claim as well.
As the regular season was winding down, the Hawks found themselves in a dogfight for the last two available spots with Seattle leaping over Everett for top spot in the division and no other teams able to catch those two teams. It was left to Spokane, Portland and Tri-City to battle it out for the last two spots in the playoffs. As the final handful of games rolled around, Tri-City made a last second push, but found themselves being in a too little too late position and it left Portland and Spokane to jockey for the better spot and less travel. Portland lost it’s game versus Spokane,01 Apr 2016 08:37:09 -0400http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/portland_winterhawks_shredded_by_everett_silvertips_bow_out_in_first_round/s1_10486_20595904
http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/portland_winterhawks_shredded_by_everett_silvertips_bow_out_in_first_round/s1_10486_20595904Portland Winterhawks Shredded By Everett Silvertips, Bow Out In First Roundhttp://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/portland_winterhawks_shredded_by_everett_silvertips_bow_out_in_first_round/s1_10486_20595904http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.pngPortland Winterhawks In Playoff Fray … But How Far Will They Go?The last night of regular season action at the Moda Center, a special guest was in attendance, but not announced in the building, nor promoted. Former Portland Winterhawks Coach and General Manager Mike Johnston visited the Moda Center and attended a road game that the Hawks were playing in. Immediate speculation was that Mike was being courted to once again rejoin the franchise he had been at the helm of for six seasons. Of course there has been the other rumor that with the most recent firing of Vancouver Giants coach and GM Lorne Molleken that Johnston was headed there. Johnston, who after leaving Portland signed on the the NHL Pittsburgh Penguins, a team that could never quite live up to the reputation of the players on the bench. He lasted just over a season in Pittsburgh and is under contract to the Penguins for the remainder of the season which precludes him from any business dealings prior to then.
Similar to the rough days in Pittsburgh. Johnston viewed an equally rough outing 28 Mar 2016 08:39:40 -0400http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/portland_winterhawks_in_playoff_fray_but_how_far_will_they_go/s1_10486_20567425
http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/portland_winterhawks_in_playoff_fray_but_how_far_will_they_go/s1_10486_20567425Portland Winterhawks In Playoff Fray … But How Far Will They Go?http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/portland_winterhawks_in_playoff_fray_but_how_far_will_they_go/s1_10486_20567425http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.pngDown To The Wire, Where Do The Portland Winterhawks End The Season?The Portland Winterhawks continue to chew up a bit of real estate in their quest to be a part of the 2015/16 playoff picture. Only seven games remain and the race in the US Division is tighter than ever. Unless both the Everett Silvertips and Seattle Thunderbirds tank in their remaining games, Portland at best, will be able to place no higher than third overall in the division.
The Hawks remain one point above the Spokane Chiefs after this past weekend’s action. All teams that are vying for the final two spots in the US Division and Western Conference wildcard split their games this weekend. In Portland, the Winterhawks battled a determined Tri-City Americans team which is desperately seeking the final slot at Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Portland never trailed in the game, but found the competition as tough as it gets. Portland took a 2-0 lead with goals by Keegan Iverson on the powerplay and Dominic Turgeon late into the first period, but Tri-City answered with a goal of their own just 07 Mar 2016 08:44:39 -0500http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/down_to_the_wire_where_do_the_portland_winterhawks_end_the_season/s1_10486_20441536
http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/down_to_the_wire_where_do_the_portland_winterhawks_end_the_season/s1_10486_20441536Down To The Wire, Where Do The Portland Winterhawks End The Season?http://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/down_to_the_wire_where_do_the_portland_winterhawks_end_the_season/s1_10486_20441536http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.pngThe Portland Winterhawks Find Offensive Balance And Defensive Problems In Central CanadaAt a recent home game in the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, I found myself in a chat with total strangers in the row in front of me. One of them was venting much disappointment in the lack of exciting marqueeplayers for this season’s Portland Winterhawks, and while I disagreed respectfully, I commiserated just the same. Any Hawks fan will lament the loss of Nic Petan and Oliver Bjorkstrand. They were more than leaders, scorers, and fan favorites; they elevated the most mundane of US Division mid-season snore games into something artful.
Having said all that, I argue (both here and in the stands) that this season is twice as valuable for the team and the coaching staff. Heading into the early playoffs it looks like the Winterhawks offense is finally finding a strategy that involves the individual talents of each man in concert with one another. Though there have been standout performances from Alex Schoenborn and Blake Heinrich, the high-scoring wins at the beginning of the recent Alberta road 01 Mar 2016 08:43:35 -0500http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/the_portland_winterhawks_find_offensive_balance_and_defensive_problems_in_central_canada/s1_10486_20409886
http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/the_portland_winterhawks_find_offensive_balance_and_defensive_problems_in_central_canada/s1_10486_20409886The Portland Winterhawks Find Offensive Balance And Defensive Problems In Central Canadahttp://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/the_portland_winterhawks_find_offensive_balance_and_defensive_problems_in_central_canada/s1_10486_20409886http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.pngPortland Winterhawks Swing Through Alberta With Wins And InjuriesWith six games and 2,500 miles under their belt, the Portland Winterhawks find that they are no closer to nailing down a playoff spot than they were at the start of the monstrous tour.
The Hawks won seven of a possible twelve points, taking 3 wins, (one in overtime), 2 regulation losses and an overtime loss. The first night in Lethbridge, Alex Schoenborn lit the lamp twice along with a pair from Rodrigo Abols to stun the Central Division leading Hurricanes 4-2. One night later, Schoenborn hit for a pair again along with six other scorers in an 8-1 romp over the Medicine Hat Tigers.
The Hawks had a two day break in Calgary and used it for a team building exercise where the team went curling. The break seemed to sap the momentum the team had as the next game versus the Hitmen, the Winterhawks dropped a 6-2 decision. At the start of the third period, Michael Bullion would replace Adin Hill in the net and surrender two goals in his only appearance between the pipes on the swing.
One night later,29 Feb 2016 08:40:04 -0500http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/portland_winterhawks_swing_through_alberta_with_wins_and_injuries/s1_10486_20404480
http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/portland_winterhawks_swing_through_alberta_with_wins_and_injuries/s1_10486_20404480Portland Winterhawks Swing Through Alberta With Wins And Injurieshttp://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/portland_winterhawks_swing_through_alberta_with_wins_and_injuries/s1_10486_20404480http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.pngPortland Winterhawks Preseason Nearing An End, Regular Season Around The CornerPortland Winterhawks will be starting the season minus a few players as nine have reported to NHL camps. Alex Schoenborn, Dominic Turgeon, Adin Hill, Paul Bittner, Keegan Iverson, Blake Heinrich, Caleb Jones were drafted, Rodrigo Abols and Keoni Texiera left the team midway through preseason scrimmages for NHL invites. This left the Winterhawks shorthanded for a couple of games.
Portland brought over 30 players to the first set of scrimmage games taking place in Everett, Washington, which featured all US Division teams plus the Victoria Royals. The Hawks wiped out Spokane Chiefs 7-2 in a game where Spokane left their overage players at home. The following day, the Hawks picked up an overtime win over the Tri-City Americans 3-2 on a goal that was fired by Paul Bittner through the net. Their last game was a loss to the Everett Silvertips 4-3. Portland saw it’s main roster players play very well and overall as a team, the Winterhawks seemed to have few holes to fill, despite their loss of 14 Sep 2015 11:44:24 -0400http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/portland_winterhawks_preseason_nearing_an_end_regular_season_around_the_corner/s1_10486_19532662
http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/portland_winterhawks_preseason_nearing_an_end_regular_season_around_the_corner/s1_10486_19532662Portland Winterhawks Preseason Nearing An End, Regular Season Around The Cornerhttp://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/portland_winterhawks_preseason_nearing_an_end_regular_season_around_the_corner/s1_10486_19532662http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.pngPortland Winterhawks Back On The Ice This WeekWhen temperatures soar to nearly 100 degrees, one’s mind certainly turns to hockey, doesn’t it? This week, the Portland Winterhawks will put hockey back in the forefront as they open their 39th training camp with one that may have a lot of questions to start.
The team will be minus much of its main scoring touch this season from players who have either maxed out by age in the league, or who were drafted and signed by National Hockey League teams. Headed to the NHL are Anton Cederholm, Chase DeLeo, Nic Petan and Oliver Bjorkstrand, the latter three comprising nearly sixty percent of the past two years of scoring. Josh Hanson, Miles Koules and Adam Henry finished their last season as eligible players and will either use scholarship time earned while playing or seek a professional hockey deal somewhere. Layne Viveiros, who was eligible to play this season as a twenty year old, signed a contract in Austria and will play there as a professional. The Hawks also traded goaltender Evan Johnson,26 Aug 2015 08:44:24 -0400http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/portland_winterhawks_back_on_the_ice_this_week/s1_10486_19418815
http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/portland_winterhawks_back_on_the_ice_this_week/s1_10486_19418815Portland Winterhawks Back On The Ice This Weekhttp://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/portland_winterhawks_back_on_the_ice_this_week/s1_10486_19418815http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.pngPortland Winterhawks Win The Week – Winning Streak Up To FivePrior to the Eastern Swing, fans of the Portland Winterhawks were in shock at a team sitting in last place in the league; they were 1-7 and looking to finish worse than the year prior to Mike Johnston’s arrival in Portland five years ago. But once the team arrived home, people started seeing a team that was starting to find itself. Those who have followed the Winterhawks over the past few seasons know that once the sleeping giant was awake, it could be off to the races. They now post a 14-12-0-3 record. With the wins this weekend, the Hawks have won five straight games and have won 7 of their last 10 and are closing in on US Division leader Everett Silvertips.
The Winterhawks picked up where they left off last week with a strong home game against Victoria Royals winning 4-2 on Tuesday. They moved to Friday for the annual Daylight Classic against Kootenay Ice, a team they see just once per year. The Hawks took a beating in shots on goal by a 20-5 margin during the first period, but scored 01 Dec 2014 08:55:00 -0500http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/portland_winterhawks_win_the_week_winning_streak_up_to_five/s1_10486_17817464
http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/portland_winterhawks_win_the_week_winning_streak_up_to_five/s1_10486_17817464Portland Winterhawks Win The Week – Winning Streak Up To Fivehttp://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/portland_winterhawks_win_the_week_winning_streak_up_to_five/s1_10486_17817464http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.pngPortland Winterhawks Drop First Two Of The Regular SeasonThe Portland Winterhawks knew as the preseason started that it would be a tough go for the first part of the season. An unprecedented number of Winterhawks players, who had been drafted by NHL clubs, would be out for at least the first two games of the season. Add to that, two injuries to two defensemen, twenty year-old Josh Hanson (broken knuckle) and eighteen year-old Blake Heinrich (concussion from Tri City tournament) meant that the Hawks would rely on very hungry, but exceptionally young talent. Just a few days prior to opening night, Adam DeChamplain, a twenty year-old forward who was expected to lead the blueline, announced his decision to leave the team and head back home to Alberta and play for the Camrose Kodiaks. The Hawks landed another twenty year-old, Travis McEvoy, who had been dropped by Vancouver Giants.
Several players are expected back into next week with exceptions of Oliver Bjorkstrand, who is being held by Columbus Blue Jackets as insurance against a contract impasse 22 Sep 2014 08:29:16 -0400http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/portland_winterhawks_drop_first_two_of_the_regular_season/s1_10486_17334167
http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/portland_winterhawks_drop_first_two_of_the_regular_season/s1_10486_17334167Portland Winterhawks Drop First Two Of The Regular Seasonhttp://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/portland_winterhawks_drop_first_two_of_the_regular_season/s1_10486_17334167http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.pngPortland Winterhawks – The Kids Are AlrightAny questions surrounding just how the Portland Winterhawks were going to do once Mike Johnston moved up to the Pittsburgh Penguins NHL club were answered following this past weekend at the Everett Pre-Season Tournament. New Coach and General Manager Jamie Kompon led the charge after 4 grueling days at the Winterhawks Skating Center for camp. The young guns that are the future of the Winterhawks showed that the franchise is in great hands even without Mike Johnston at the helm.
The Hawks won all three games and in doing so, showed people the firepower that the team will display this upcoming season. Portland beat Spokane 7-5 after leading 6-1 at one point. They followed up with a 5-2 win over Tri Cities and capped the weekend with a 4-2 win over the host Everett Silvertips. Without Brendan Leipsic, Taylor Leier and Derrick Pouliot who have all signed NHL deals, the weight fell to Oliver Bjorkstrand, Nic Petan and Chase DeLeo and they certainly didn’t disappoint.
The weekend also featured 02 Sep 2014 08:47:21 -0400http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/portland_winterhawks_the_kids_are_alright/s1_10486_17187197
http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/portland_winterhawks_the_kids_are_alright/s1_10486_17187197Portland Winterhawks – The Kids Are Alrighthttp://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/portland_winterhawks_the_kids_are_alright/s1_10486_17187197http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.pngPortland Winterhawks Fall Short On Memorial Cup Bid, But Look Toward A Strong 2014-15 CampaignAt the start of each season, all the various sportswriters, fans and those that think they know about hockey, look at last season to this season and make their predictions on how the teams will fare, even into the playoffs. For the past four seasons, the Portland Winterhawks have stymied many who thought that they would just fall apart due to their incredible losses of talent to graduation, professional leagues and age maximums. Each year it’s looked upon as “cycling” with teams rebuilding after a big run to the playoffs and having a rough couple of years before they start to gel, make another run and repeat the process all over again.
One thing that binds all the past four seasons together is that the Portland Winterhawks made the Western Hockey League Finals in each of those years. That is a record held by only four teams. The Flin Flon (Manitoba) Bombers started it in 1967 – 1970, the original incarnation of the Edmonton Oil Kings from 1971-1974 before they moved to Portland to become 19 May 2014 08:46:05 -0400http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/portland_winterhawks_fall_short_on_memorial_cup_bid_but_look_toward_a_strong_2014_15_campaign/s1_10486_16494163
http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/portland_winterhawks_fall_short_on_memorial_cup_bid_but_look_toward_a_strong_2014_15_campaign/s1_10486_16494163Portland Winterhawks Fall Short On Memorial Cup Bid, But Look Toward A Strong 2014-15 Campaignhttp://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/portland_winterhawks_fall_short_on_memorial_cup_bid_but_look_toward_a_strong_2014_15_campaign/s1_10486_16494163http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.pngPortland Winterhawks Gaining Positive Momentum After World JuniorsThe Portland Winterhawks are on a tear right now, having won their last five straight games. But it wasn't as rosy a couple weeks ago with the World Juniors going on. Having a shortened bench due to injuries, the World Junior tournament and players only available for select games, the Hawks took a drubbing leading into the New Year with two games against the Kelowna Rockets who are the top WHL team.
Having the players back and a couple injuries healed, the New Year has been the rebound that the team hoped would happen. The team started with a road trip to Everett where they won 4-1 in 17-year-old goaltender Adin Hill's debut. Hill was brought in as an extra goaltender leading up to trade deadline, but returned back to his home team in Alberta toward the end of the road trip.
During this time, the trade deadline passed and the Hawks, who made a few small splashes in the trade pool earlier in the year, dealt goaltender Jarrod Schammerhorn to Lethbridge for a 7th round draft pick 21 Jan 2014 09:22:19 -0500http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/portland_winterhawks_gaining_positive_momentum_after_world_juniors/s1_10486_15592922
http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/portland_winterhawks_gaining_positive_momentum_after_world_juniors/s1_10486_15592922Portland Winterhawks Gaining Positive Momentum After World Juniorshttp://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/portland_winterhawks_gaining_positive_momentum_after_world_juniors/s1_10486_15592922http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png